Why do we like beauty?

Question

I know evolution doesn't have a purpose, but when we observe complex mechanisms we wonder about their biological significance...
I understand the importance of finding beauty in people (selecting fit partners, other sociologic things), but what would be the advantage of liking to watch certain landscapes, the sunset, etc?

Do you think this is a subproduct of other selected process (for instance, it is important to be able to classify people as beautiful or not, so when that ability it comes up it is selected, but it isn't restricted to people only) or that it is important per se?

I don't know if I made myself clear... This is one of the things that comes to my mind once in a while, so I'dd like to hear some other opinions. :)

Answer 1

This is a good question.
First, we can say something is beautiful when its traits are very atractive to us. Like grays, there are many degrees of beauty, and it's not a 'either you got it or you don't thing.

These are generally traits which have been important to our survival (and which are not necessarily important anymore). Thus, a fit guy or gal is more atractive than an unfit guy or gal.
But the same applies to landscapes. Swamps are abundant with disease-carrying insects, have no clean water, usually little food, and are home to snakes. It's not surprising we're not particularly fond of swamps.
Similarly, lush greens, colorful flowers and fruits, singing birds, waterfalls, a beautiful sun in the horizon - these are all signs of abundant food and water (you wouldn't find lush greens and singing birds otherwise). Colorful flowers for example indicate spring, and it hints at the scores of animals that must be around feasting on grasses and nectars and fruits. Also, a beautiful sun hints at good weather - thunderstorms or hurricanes would all pose survival risks. No wonder we look at pictures of Hawaii in a beautiful day and go 'Ahhhhh'. We'd all love to be there.

There are also landscapes which don't seem to ensure our survival, but which we look at in awe. Deserts and glaciers, for example. And torrential thunderstorms, and snow storms. And these, it seems, we're atracted to because of our innate curiosity. We're compelled by odd images, and downright atracted to many of them, as if we were being told 'look, go find out what that is'. And that has tremendous survival implications too. Would Collumbus have sailed off if not for this strong urge to explore, this curiosity of what's beyond the water? And, it turned out there were vast arrays of very fertile land for us out here - all the way across the dangerous waters of the Atlantic where many other had struggled through and died. There had to be a natural urge to explore, so strong that you'd put yourself in sometimes great risk, for the potential of discovering something which would further expand and perpetuate our genes.

Some traits are a side effect of other, primary traits, and have no real use of their own. But the beauty we see in landscapes - it doesn't seem to, at least fully, fit in this category.

Answer 2

I think it has a lot to do with biophilia; I would say that the species that could in some way appreciate other living organisms, that could find beauty in life other than humans - the opposite sex - that they promoted the prosperity and balance of their ecological environments. Being completely selfish and destroying everything, not seeing anything beautiful - that which is aesthetically pleasing and should be saved from destruction - does not seem favorable to the harmony of an ecosystem. I think that somewhere along the line, this biophilia spread into landscapes and other inanimate things; since it wasn't an advantage, it wasn't selected against.

In addition, people use to be widely polytheistic, praising the landscapes and sun and moon and so on; perhaps that was intertwined with the ability to consider those things beautiful. Maybe the chance adaptation became favorable in that it allowed for the invention of such gods, leading to religion, and promoting aggregation; thus, people stuck together and became humble and more loving toward one another. Just a thought.

Answer 3

What an interesting question. I understand beauty in others, but why do we get that feeling of 'awe' or 'wonder' which can give you butterflies, over an inanimate object, such as a painting, the Pyramids or a sunset.
Perhaps it is an in built evolutionary safety mechanism. If we are drawn to beautiful scenery or advantageous/valuable things we will put ourselves into those enviroments and it is likely they will be the most fruitful and productive.
i.e We inherently want to see a beautiful landscape over a dank swamp, therefore we are most likely to live there and prosper there.
We value beautiful items as these are most valuable in 'trade' and by obtaining them gives us power or stability.
All this is at a subconcious level of course.
Does that make sense? I'm getting tired.

Answer 4

Okay, I'm not commenting on beauty in people at all, because I don't think that's what you're asking, although maybe I'm confused. I'm talking about the beauty of sights like landscapes or paintings or what have you.

I think it's a byproduct of being able to.. think. I don't think other animals enjoy beauty the way we do. And it's not an automatic response. I mean, every time you hear a scream, you notice it.

But most people drive by beautiful sights every day but don't notice them because they're not thinking about it. I see beautiful sunsets all the time but I don't notice them unless I actively decide to consider what I'm looking at.

So, I dunno if I was clear, I guess I rambled a bit. :)

Answer 5

Some birds like magpies are fascinated by shiny objects. They will incorporate them into their nests as a way to attract females.

That sounds to me a lot like the human habit of surrounding yourself with beautiful and valuable objects (big houses, fancy cars, jewelery and gold etc.) to show off your wealth. And many of the things that we consider beautiful are shiny. Jewels are shiny. Gold and silver are the shiniest metals. So maybe I'm crazy but I think maybe the human idea of appreciating beauty comes from a similar instinct for trophy collection.

Answer 6

i think it's in the glint of sun at the corner of someone's eye the tallness of a tree, green and massive the mist, rolling in like a tidal wave of snow from the ocean the pinkgold glow that turns the world t warmth at dawn a deer poised and ready to run, then bounding into motion in the blink of an eye a mountain's silhouette against the sky the clouds, backlit with light or rain streaming through them the sky in all it's hundreds of thousands of shades- black-blue-grey-pink-white-blue-blue-blu... the stars, so bright that the sky is not black but the deepest blue you can think of, shining like so many diamonds. the sound of one note flowing into the next, be it bold and brassy trumpet or the sad song of a cello, or a thin, quavering but ever strengthening human voice

Answer 7

Beauty is generally a personal thing. I think what we define as beautiful is an expression of how we want our own personal world to be. When seeing something beautiful we are relaxed, amazed, and our happiness is increased greatly. We all seek happiness so we seek what we think will cause that to happen.

Answer 8

in a person? what we think is beautiful is linked to characteristics of a particularly healthy person, who would give us healthy kids. Like a female peacock is attracted to the male with the biggest most spectacular tail because only a very healthy peacock can grow a tail like that.
in nature and art? its difficult to explain. sometimes it reminds us of pleasurable experiences in our past or ideals. some might say it shows us God's design.

Answer 9

it is easier for a female with relatively large hips (and therefore large buttocks!) to give birth and avoid birth problems (such as stroke, and other damages to the baby), and larger breasts mean larger nourishment supply for the baby, so it is more likely for a thin woman with large hips and breasts to raise relatively healthy offspring, and we men are attracted to that kind of woman.
A strong, muscular male is fitter for protecting his family and hunt food, so women & her offspring were more likely to survive with a strong muscular male with them. So they were attracted to them (and still now)
Of course the media boosts our likeness for beauty, and science makes it less crucial for our survival.

Answer 10

It´s reproduction oriented in all animals. The one that looks most appealing to you is the one with whom you unconsciously tend to want to reproduce (not that it becomes overpowering of course, it becomes a criterion in one´s life).